


Misconceptions

by Blackghost7



Category: NCIS
Genre: First Time, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 18:52:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3620532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackghost7/pseuds/Blackghost7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You've had your fun. And it ends now."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Misconceptions

   
The deep rumble of thunder resounded in his ears, mixed with the continued onslaught of rain pelting against the window. His eyes were closed, but the lightning that flashed only moments ago still outlined the delicate veins in his eyelids, and he suppressed the urge to rub his fingers over his eyes to wipe away the image. It was a dreadful night outside, but Gibbs felt calm and relaxed, warmly cocooned in the blankets he kept on his couch, half a bottle of bourbon swirling in his stomach, making him drowsy and just that tiny bit dizzy, the perfect combination to help him to sleep. Usually, that is. Because tonight, his thoughts were keeping him up, and it had everything to do with the precious thing that was currently one floor above him, safely ensconced in the fluffy duvet and pillows Gibbs kept for these occasions, never using them himself, but always at the ready for use. For Tony.  
   
There wasn’t anything special about tonight, no one got hurt, nothing was bothering them, but still Tony showed up. He’d been doing so more and more lately, and Gibbs had a feeling he knew why, but he couldn’t bring himself to mind. Tony was always welcome to Gibbs, whenever and wherever, and he sighed to himself at the thought. He was getting weak in his old age, unable to resist urges he had always been able to control in his younger years. But in all fairness, it had been a surprise. Having known Tony for all these years and considering him a friend and confidant, a pleasure to work with and a fine - even outstanding - agent, he had been a bit startled to start seeing the younger man in a different light. It had been nothing extraordinary. One morning Gibbs had shown up early in the office and found Tony sleeping at his desk, leaning back in his chair, eyes closed and snoring lightly, a small smile on his face. He had stood there watching Tony for long minutes, getting a strange feeling at the sight of the younger man so peacefully asleep. When Gibbs had at last leaned over him and softly shaken Tony’s shoulder to wake him up, instead of barking a gruff 'DiNozzo', Tony’s eyes had opened and blinked sleepily, and when he recognized his boss looming over him, had thrown the older man a sleepy unguarded smile, a twinkle in his bedroom eyes, and whispered a husky “Good morning, Jethro” at Gibbs.  
   
Several things crashed through Gibbs’ mind at that moment. Tony looked cute. Tony had called him Jethro. Tony had bedroom eyes. Tony’s husky voice made Gibbs shiver. Tony was hot. As Gibbs stood there immobile, watching the younger man stretch and yawn widely, Gibbs mentally shook his head at himself. Of all the people in the world to get a midlife crush on, why did it have to be Tony? Incognizant of the thoughts running through Gibbs’ mind, Tony finally woke up sufficiently to realize where he was and who was staring at him, and he smiled again, his usual smile this time, and greeted Gibbs again, his usual greeting this time. 

“Morning, Boss!”

Somehow Gibbs registered that Tony was unaware of his earlier greeting, and that fascinated him. Why would Tony call him Jethro, and smile that cute smile at him when he was still lost in the haze of sleep? Grunting in response, more at his own ridiculous thoughts than at Tony, Gibbs turned and seated himself at his desk, from where he watched Tony stand up and stretch some more, then dig through the filing cabinet where he kept his spare clothes, taking out a fresh shirt. Gibbs couldn’t turn his eyes away as Tony stripped out of his shirt and t-shirt, sprayed on some deodorant, and put on the fresh t-shirt he’d grabbed from the cabinet. Feeling eyes on him, Tony turned to find Gibbs staring at him, and his eyes widened slightly, then he winked.  
   
“Something wrong, Boss?”  
   
Clearing his throat, Gibbs replied quickly.  
   
“No. No, nothing wrong with you at all.”  
   
Tony’s face lit up with a bright smile, and he struck a pose for Gibbs, then laughed.  
   
“Thanks, Boss!”  
   
Gibbs wanted to drop his head to his desk, bang it firmly against the hard surface a couple of times until it had caused memory loss and he could forget how stupid he was being. Instead he went for coffee, leaving Tony staring after him, an amused but slightly puzzled look on his face.  
   
   
When Gibbs had left after that little exchange, Tony couldn’t help but smile at himself. He had no idea what had come over his boss all of a sudden, but there had been no mistaking that look or Gibbs’ words. Gibbs had been checking him out, and had liked what he saw. It was fascinating and exhilarating and a little frightening all at the same time, but Tony had never been one to shy away from things like that. He did wonder what would have changed for Gibbs to suddenly look at him like that after all these years, but he wasn’t going to question a good thing when it happened. The attraction to his boss had always been there, but he wasn’t going to risk anything if he didn’t know whether it would be reciprocated, so he’d benched his thoughts about and feelings for Gibbs a long time ago, buried them in the depths of his mind, but they were still always there lurking in the background. And now there had been this clear sign that he wasn’t the only one with thoughts in that direction.  
   
He didn’t know whether it was just lust that Gibbs was feeling for him or something more, but he was pretty much willing to take anything at this point. His longing had been burning in the back of his mind for so long, that if he had a chance now, he simply needed to have the older man, even if it was just once. Maybe it would get him over his crush on Gibbs, maybe it would break his heart, but at least he’d know where he stood, both with Gibbs and in his own mind.  
   
For the next couple of days, Tony kept a close eye on Gibbs and caught the man staring at him several times, but Gibbs never did or said anything more. Still, Tony was certain he hadn’t misunderstood the looks and words from Gibbs that morning a few days earlier, and he decided to pursue it, so that Friday evening he showed up at Gibbs’ place, pizza and beers in hand. Gibbs seemed surprised but pleased to see him, and they spent a comfortable evening in the basement together, Gibbs working and Tony watching, talking endlessly. He made Gibbs laugh several times, and whenever that rare laughter echoed through the basement, Tony’s eyes sparkled with pleased mirth that he was the cause of it. Tony flirted with Gibbs, and was fascinated to see a small blush creep up the back of Gibbs’ neck when Tony made a particularly outrageous comment, filing away that information for future use. He wanted to see that blush again, and he wanted to see how far down that blush went. He pictured Gibbs naked, Tony flirting with him, caressing him, just to see if he could make Gibbs blush all over. His eyes glazed over as he was thinking about that, and Gibbs watched him surreptitiously, wondering what Tony was thinking about that caused that pleased and dreamy look on his face. When Tony returned to the present and locked eyes with Gibbs, the younger man couldn’t help a soft smile forming on his lips, and Gibbs cursed himself when he felt his heart start pounding wildly at the sight. Turning back to his work, Gibbs tried to steady himself with a couple of deep breaths, but the rest of the evening his heart sped up again every time he looked at Tony. When it was late in the evening and Gibbs was ready to call it a night, he offered his guest bedroom to Tony, and Tony accepted with a smile and stayed the night.  
   
In the morning, Tony made them both breakfast while Gibbs fixed them coffee, and all through the meal, Tony flirted, at last seeing that blush creep up Gibbs’ neck again. Gibbs didn’t reciprocate his flirting, and Tony had a niggling feeling that Gibbs was somewhat embarrassed by Tony’s behavior towards him, but at the same time, didn’t want Tony to stop. Tony was curious about that, but figured that Gibbs was still adjusting to this shift in demeanor between them, and as long as Gibbs didn’t tell him to stop, Tony was going to continue on this new path. After breakfast, Tony took his leave, and spent the rest of his weekend in a lighthearted mood, doing the usual chores with a smile on his face, thinking about Gibbs.  
   
After Tony left, Gibbs let himself drop face down onto his couch, closing his eyes and letting everything play through his mind again. He had of course noticed the change in Tony’s behavior, the flirting had been hard to miss, and even though he enjoyed it and Tony’s attention on him, he wondered what Tony’s intentions were. He had expected Tony to either ignore what had happened or make a joke about it before letting it go, but this flirting seemed to be about teasing Gibbs with his infatuation now that Tony had discovered it. On the other hand, he didn’t think Tony would be mean about it, certainly not to Gibbs, so what was behind it? The more Tony flirted, the more self-conscious Gibbs became, and it wasn’t long before he felt a blush in his neck, something that seldom happened to him. But Tony managed to cause that reaction in him with ease, and seemed pleased by it, which only added to Gibbs’ self-consciousness. Losing himself in the basement for the rest of the weekend, Gibbs tried to let it go.  
   
The following Monday at the office Tony behaved strictly professionally, but that evening he showed up at Gibbs’ place again and resumed his flirting banter. Gibbs allowed it passively, enjoying it while at the same time wondering how long Tony was going to keep teasing him with this. He told himself the younger man would tire of it soon if Gibbs didn’t respond, and then they would let it go. But that was weeks ago, and Tony kept showing up every other few nights, staying over sometimes, and kept up his flirting. So now here Gibbs was, thinking about Tony asleep upstairs in his guest room, acknowledging to himself that what Gibbs had first thought was a crush on Tony that he would get over in a few weeks, a temporary flash of insanity, was in fact something far more. That evening in the basement, Tony had been talking and flirting while he was neatly stacking the leftover pieces of wood from various projects that Gibbs had just left in a pile in the corner, and Gibbs had turned around to watch him. For nearly half an hour, Tony hadn’t even noticed that Gibbs wasn’t working anymore but instead just looking at him and listening to him, and Gibbs had at last recognized the feelings he had for the younger man. Gibbs had had those same feelings once before, but that had been a long time ago, and he told himself that that was why he hadn’t recognized them before. But that one moment when he found Tony asleep at the office and Tony had given him that cute smile as he woke up had triggered something in Gibbs that had led him here, acknowledging to himself that he loved Tony. Shaking his head at himself for being so slow on the uptake, Gibbs returned to work, and let the rest of the evening pass by with a smile on his face, sipping bourbon every now and then while he worked and Tony talked. When they finally went to bed, it was very late at night, and Gibbs had had about half a bottle of bourbon, while Tony had had maybe a beer or two more than he should have had. It was a good excuse for Tony to stay over again, and so the precious younger man was fast asleep upstairs while Gibbs was on the couch coming to term with his feelings for Tony.  
   
The following morning, Tony was preparing breakfast and Gibbs was fixing coffee as had become the usual routine by now, when they almost bumped into each other as they turned to reach for something on the counter. Faces only a few inches away from each other, Tony stared into Gibbs’ eyes for a moment, then quickly closed the distance between them and kissed Gibbs’ lips. Surprised that Tony would go this far just to make fun of Gibbs’ feelings, the older man allowed the kiss for a few seconds, but then pulled back and sighed.  
   
“Okay, Tony. Enough.”  
   
At the resigned and almost hurt tone in Gibbs’ voice, Tony eyed him curiously.  
   
“Enough what, Gibbs?”  
   
“You’ve had your fun, and it ends now. I never thought you would take it this far. But I’m not playing anymore, so stop.”  
   
Tony felt his heart shatter at those words. He had his answer. He’d taken the chance and was rejected. And at the same time it made clear to him once and for all that it was not just a crush he’d had on Gibbs all this time, but something far deeper, and he had just lost it in the same moment as he had it confirmed. He took a step back and let out a shaky breath, trying to hold himself together and sound steady even though he really wanted to scream and plead and beg for another chance.  
   
“Message received loud and clear, Boss.”  
   
Tony quickly gathered his things and left the house without another word. He held it together while he was driving home, but when he arrived at his apartment, he dropped onto his couch and curled up into himself, almost as if he were physically trying to hold the shattered remnants of his heart together. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the pain. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything other than just lie there and hope he would survive this somehow. For the remainder of the weekend, he merely existed. He barely ate or drank, hardly slept, didn’t do anything other than focus on keeping on breathing and telling himself that he was strong enough to get through this. On Monday morning, it took a huge effort to get dressed and go to work, afraid that seeing Gibbs again would crush him, but he forced himself to do it. It turned out he didn’t shatter, didn’t fall apart, just felt a deep pain every time he caught a glimpse of Gibbs, heard the man’s voice. He made it through the day intact, and collapsed in his bed as soon as he came home, curling up again. He didn’t sleep and didn’t eat, and as the days went by, dark circles appeared under his eyes and he lost weight by the pound. The team were very worried, Ducky wanted to examine him to find out what was going on with him, but Tony shut them all out. The days were silent without his chatter, and whenever he was forced to speak for work, his voice was soft and subdued, his movements efficient but clearly avoiding touch whenever he could. They all saw he was wasting away, the Tony they knew and loved disappearing, becoming a shell, but no one could get through to him.  
   
Gibbs had been shocked at Tony’s reaction when Gibbs had told the younger man stop teasing him about his feelings. He was confused by the pain he saw in Tony’s eyes, the way he seemed to immediately close himself off, but Tony had left before Gibbs had a chance to stop him and find out what was causing it. For the remainder of the weekend, he tried telling himself that he’d been mistaken, seen it wrong, but when he laid eyes on Tony on Monday morning he couldn’t fool himself anymore. Tony was hurting from something, hurting deeply, and Gibbs knew that he was the cause of it, but he couldn’t figure out how. He had a brief hope that Tony would come to him, but he didn’t, and if Gibbs was indeed the cause of Tony’s pain, he couldn’t really blame him. He tried to get Tony alone to talk to him, but the younger man ignored him, seemed to tense and get skittish whenever Gibbs came close to him, so Gibbs tried to give him some space. But over the following weeks he saw Tony deteriorate, looking more and more exhausted and losing weight, and not only was he worried, his heart was hurting for the man he loved. Gibbs couldn’t take it anymore, couldn’t bear seeing Tony like this, wanted to have the younger man healthy and happy and laughing and talking. That Friday night, Gibbs followed Tony home.  
   
Knowing Tony would ignore him if he knocked, Gibbs didn’t bother with that and simply let himself into the apartment with his spare key. He made his way quietly through the place until he found Tony lying on the couch, eyes closed and body completely still. Gibbs sat on the coffee table facing Tony, and softly spoke.  
   
“Tony?”  
   
“Go away.”  
   
“No.”  
   
“Leave me alone.”  
   
“No, Tony.”  
   
“Okay, then just fuck off.”  
   
“What did I do?”  
   
That made Tony open his eyes, sit up and stare at Gibbs incredulously.  
   
“What did you do? What did you do? What do you mean, what did you do! You broke my heart, that’s what you did! And I’m sorry I can’t just ignore that and pretend everything is fine, because it fucking hurts and it’s tearing me apart! You may be able to ignore your feelings and be your ice cold self, but when I get my heart stamped on, I hurt and I feel it! I thought, when you looked at me like that, that after all these years there might be a chance, only to get my love for you thrown back in my face when you’re done ‘playing’! Well, thanks for ‘playing’ with my feelings, Gibbs, it was a lot of fun indeed!”  
   
Tony got up and went to the bar, pouring himself a large helping of vodka and chugging it down, wincing and nearly choking on the liquid as it burned down his throat. Gibbs sat in stunned silence for a few moments, but when he saw Tony reach for the vodka bottle for another helping, quickly crossed the room and put his hand on Tony’s arm to stop him. Tony shivered at the touch, but let Gibbs’ hand stop his movement.  
   
“Tony.”  
   
No response.  
   
“Tony, please look at me.”  
   
Nothing.  
   
Gibbs slowly moved to stand in front of Tony, and equally slowly enclosed the younger man in his embrace. Tony let him, but still did not respond, his arms dangling at his sides. Gibbs buried his face in Tony’s neck and softly stroked a hand through Tony’s hair, then broke his own rule.  
   
“I’m sorry, Anthony. I’m so sorry.”  
   
That finally got a reaction. Tony pushed at Gibbs’ chest and stepped away from him.  
   
“I don’t need your fucking pity.”  
   
This time it was Gibbs who reached for the alcohol and poured himself a large glass of bourbon. Taking a few gulps of the stuff, he sighed deeply and sat down on the couch, watching Tony who was now standing at the window, his back turned to Gibbs.  
   
“I didn’t understand. I thought you were making fun of me when you found out how I felt about you, that you were teasing me.”  
   
Tony turned around and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked at Gibbs at last, reading him. Gibbs let him see everything, keeping his expression open and for once not hiding behind his own masks. Tony held the silence for a long time, then moved to the bar and poured himself a second drink after all, sitting down on the coffee table across from Gibbs and sipping slowly this time. When Tony didn’t say anything, Gibbs continued.  
   
“I should have realized you would never play with anyone’s feelings like that.”  
   
Both took another sip.  
   
“It was a lot to take in, Tony. After all these years of thinking of you as a friend and partner to start wanting more and different things from you, with you.”  
   
Another sip.  
   
“I should have just told you how I felt, asked you how you felt, but I guess I really am a closed-off bastard.”  
   
Yet another sip.  
   
“I want you, Tony, want to be with you.”  
   
Sip again.  
   
“I love you, Anthony.”  
   
Tony’s hand slowly reached out to trace a single finger from the corner of Gibbs’ eye down his cheek, down his throat, until it reached the collar of Gibbs’ shirt. Then the finger withdrew. Gibbs shivered under the touch and Tony’s intent gaze that had been fixed on him the entire time Gibbs had been speaking. Just as he was starting to wonder whether Tony was ever going to talk to him again, the younger man spoke.  
   
“Gods, I’m exhausted.”  
   
Not what Gibbs was expecting, but at least he was getting some response now.  
   
“I haven’t slept for weeks.”  
   
A soft touch of Tony’s finger over the back of Gibbs’ hand.  
   
“I just want to go to bed and finally be able to sleep again.”  
   
Tony’s hand reaching out to take the half empty glass of bourbon from Gibbs’ fingers, setting it down on the table, then entangling his fingers with Gibbs’.  
   
“Join me?”  
   
In an almost surreal, dreamlike few minutes, Gibbs followed Tony to his bedroom where they undressed, to the bathroom where they brushed and washed and got ready for bed, back to the bedroom to crawl under the covers together, snug in the single bed, Gibbs on his back and Tony held close against his side, Tony’s arm across Gibbs’ chest, Tony’s face pressed against Gibbs’ neck. A deep sigh from Tony signaled that he was already sinking into sleep, but he still managed to get a few soft words out.  
   
“Don’t ever hurt me like that again, Jethro.”  
   
Tightening his arm around Tony for a moment in answer, Gibbs felt the younger man was already asleep. Gibbs stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes, the emotions of the evening and the last few weeks having tired him out completely too, and then he smiled at the knowledge that he was the only person Tony had ever taken to his bed, to this bed, and that told him exactly how Tony felt about him. Smile firmly in place, Gibbs followed Tony into sleep.  
   
   
When Tony at last woke up, it was late in the morning, and he was both surprised and pleased to find Gibbs still in bed with him, still holding him. Gibbs was awake and Tony knew he would have been for quite some time already, and he would have expected and wouldn’t have minded if Gibbs had left him alone in bed, but was grateful and happy that the older man had instead chosen to stay with him.  
   
“It would have been okay if you left the bed, you know.”  
   
“I didn’t want you to wake up alone.”  
   
Tony raised himself up to look at Gibbs.  
   
“Thank you.”  
   
Gibbs reached out a hand and caressed the back of Tony’s head, then drew the younger man towards him, tentatively initiating a kiss. Tony let his eyes fall closed as Gibbs’ lips covered his, and then he deepened the kiss and let his tongue play with Gibbs’ for the first time. After a few minutes, the kiss was broken by a deep rumble coming from Tony’s stomach, reminding them both that Tony hadn’t been eating much over the past few weeks. Tony smiled apologetically.  
   
“I’d really like to stay here with you and continue this, but I guess I’m really hungry.”  
   
“I know.”  
   
Gibbs smiled back and then softly let his hands caress Tony’s chest and stomach, concern in his eyes.  
   
“You’ve lost too much weight. I need to feed you. Go clean up and dress, I’ll take you to the diner.”  
   
About half an hour later they were in a booth at the diner, both sipping coffee and waiting for their food, and Gibbs smiled at the near continuous rumble that growled in Tony’s belly at the smell of food in the diner. When their breakfast at last arrived, Tony dug in enthusiastically, and Gibbs just watched him while he ate his own food at a slower pace. Tony caught the look after about his tenth hurried bite, and smiled shyly in embarrassment.  
   
“Don’t. I love seeing you like this, and just glad that you’re eating.”  
   
Tony’s smile brightened and he dug in again, but did slow down his pace a little. By the time Tony finished his plate, having ordered large amounts of food, Gibbs was sipping at his third coffee, still just watching the younger man. When Tony put down his knife and fork and leaned back, sighing with contentment at his full stomach, Gibbs reached out and let his fingers play over Tony’s softly for a while before he spoke.  
   
“So what do we do now?”  
   
“Sleep, eat and then sleep some more.”  
   
Tony grinned at the almost disappointed look on Gibbs’ face.  
   
“In between kissing, lots and lots of kissing, some groping, and maybe something more?”  
   
“Yeah?”  
   
“Yeah…”  
   
Gibbs smiled again at the almost dreamy expression on Tony’s face as the younger man thought about what exactly he wanted to do. Gibbs was smiling a lot today, and Tony liked it. Gibbs liked it too.  
   
“Your place or mine?”  
   
“Really? Crass, Gibbs.”  
   
But Tony smiled when he said it, and then answered the question.  
   
“Yours. You’ll want some basement time, I’m sure. Besides, you have a bigger bed that we can really play around in.”  
   
Smiling yet again, Gibbs left money on the table and took Tony home.  
   
   
Tony was yawning again by the time Gibbs pulled up to his house, and once inside, he directed Tony to the couch and told him to sleep. Tony was in dreamland within minutes, and Gibbs looked down at him with soft eyes. Tony knew him too well, he did indeed want some basement time, and while Tony was sleeping, Gibbs retreated downstairs. He worked on some plans he had been thinking about for a while, but after an hour or two, the knowledge that Tony was upstairs was pulling him away from his work. Taking the steps two at a time, he found Tony just waking up and stretching his limbs, yawning widely and rubbing a hand through his hair. Seeing Gibbs approaching him, Tony gave a sleepy smile and spoke softly, his voice husky from sleep.  
   
“Good morning, Jethro.”  
   
Gibbs was struck by the memory of this exact same thing, the sleepy smile, the husky voice, the softly spoken words, the start of all this, and stood still a few steps away from Tony. Waking up further and seeing Gibbs almost frozen in place, Tony suddenly worried.  
   
“Something wrong?”  
   
“No. It’s just… that was it. That was what made me realize how I feel about you.”  
   
“What was?”  
   
“That morning in the office, you were asleep in your chair. When I shook you awake, you did exactly what you did just now.”  
   
“What did I do?”  
   
“You smiled at me and whispered ‘good morning, Jethro’ before you were even fully awake.”  
   
A blush appeared on Tony’s face.  
   
“I did? Ahem, I don’t remember that… but I suppose it would only be logical. I had been dreaming about you, and when I opened my eyes and you were there, I must have thought I was still in the dream, I guess.”  
   
“You were dreaming about me?”  
   
Tony’s blush deepened.  
   
“Ah, yeah… That actually happens a lot.”  
   
Now it was Gibbs’ voice that came out husky, and the older man slowly closed the distance between them as if he were stalking prey.  
   
“What exactly do you dream about?”  
   
Feeling his arousal start to stir at the tone of Gibbs’ voice, Tony swallowed and slowly stood. Gibbs saw the desire appear in Tony’s eyes and came to a stop right in front of Tony, only inches away from him. Tony reached out his hand and cupped Gibbs’ neck, drawing him closer, and breathed out a few words before their lips met.  
   
“Why don’t I show you…”  
   
Tony nibbled softly at Gibbs’ lips before deepening the connection, entering Gibbs’ mouth with his tongue, playing there for a while before coaxing Gibbs’ tongue to follow his into his own mouth. He felt Gibbs’ hands on his hips and sliding to his ass, and moaned softly, keeping his own hand in place on Gibbs’ neck, the other around Gibbs’ waist. Tony controlled the kiss, a little surprised but pleased that Gibbs was letting him, and getting even more aroused by that than he already had been. When Gibbs pulled them together tighter, hands still on Tony’s ass, Tony felt a hardness answering his own, and they slowly rubbed together. Gibbs had been silent until then, but the friction and sensations the movements caused made him groan in pleasure, which in turn excited Tony even more. Panting with excitement, Tony at last released the kiss to stare into Gibbs’ eyes.  
   
“Bed?”  
   
“Whatever you want.”  
   
“Really?”  
   
“If you keep kissing me like that, I’ll do anything.”  
   
By the time they reached the bedroom, most of their clothes were already gone, and Tony wasted no time in getting rid of the last remaining pieces while Gibbs got out the lube and condoms. Pushing Gibbs down onto the bed, Tony covered him with his own body and expanded his explorations from Gibbs’ mouth to his entire body, roaming his hands and mouth and tongue all over the older man, smiling every time he managed to coax another moan or pleasured sound from the man. When at last he took Gibbs' hardness into his mouth, Gibbs was grunting and groaning more than Tony ever would have imagined, and Tony was loving it. Lubing up his fingers, Tony carefully prepared his lover to receive him, taking his time while Gibbs grasped at Tony’s hair, trying to urge him on. It was a softly spoken plea that finally made Tony relent.  
   
“Tony, please…”  
   
Removing his fingers and releasing Gibbs from his mouth, Tony quickly put on a condom and applied lube. Gibbs looked up at him with barely restrained desire, and asked hoarsely.  
   
“How do you want me?”  
   
“Hands and knees.”  
   
Tony let his eyes rake over his lover’s body while Gibbs got into the desired position, hardly believing that Gibbs would let Tony direct him like this, would let him do this. But when Gibbs looked over his shoulder at Tony, the younger man saw the raging desire there, and all thoughts were forgotten as he knelt between Gibbs’ spread legs and slowly entered his lover. Gibbs threw back his head and let out a continuous, low moan while Tony pushed into him, pushing back against Tony to get more of the younger man inside of him. When he was fully inside of his lover, Tony stroked his hands from Gibbs’ shoulders down over his back, kneading the ass cheeks he was pressed up against, then stroking back up Gibbs’ flanks, feeling the older man shiver in delight. Then Tony started moving, slowly and deeply, finding the perfect angle and making his lover fall to pieces under his movements. Just as Tony felt himself nearing the edge, he saw Gibbs reach a hand down to stroke himself, and quickly stopped him, grasping the base of Gibbs’ arousal and squeezing.  
   
“Don’t.”  
   
When Tony pulled back and out of Gibbs, the older man let out a frustrated groan and turned to look at Tony pleadingly.  
   
“Turn over, onto your back.”  
   
While Gibbs moved, Tony removed the condom and tossed it aside, grabbing another and the lube, slicking himself up quickly. He saw Gibbs waiting for him with spread legs, expecting Tony to enter him again, and grinned. Quickly rolling the condom onto Gibbs, Tony positioned himself over his lover’s arousal and slowly sank down, eyes closed in pleasure when he felt the hard length fill him completely, until he was fully seated. Opening his eyes again and looking down at Gibbs, he saw the surprise and delighted desire in his lover’s gaze, and Gibbs’ hands caressed his chest and abs until they came to rest on Tony’s hips. Then Tony started moving again, raising and lowering himself slowly at first, but when he found the right angle with more force, Gibbs assisting him with his hands. Their eyes were locked on each other and they panted together, both from exertion and pleasure, and when Gibbs felt himself getting close, he grasped Tony in one hand and stroked him in time with their movements. It took only a few more strokes and thrusts before Tony threw his head back and found his release, clenching around Gibbs tightly, bringing the other man over the edge as well with a strangled groan. They held their positions until they had calmed a little, then Tony leaned over to claim another kiss from Gibbs, whimpering a little in displeasure when he felt Gibbs soften and slip out of him. Gibbs wrapped his arms around Tony and pulled him flush against him, rolling them onto their sides, holding close and kissing softly and lovingly.  
   
“That was quite a dream.”  
   
“The reality was far better, Jethro.”  
   
Kissing Tony again, Gibbs grinned.  
   
“So… sleep, or food?”  
   
Tony laughed, then turned serious.  
   
“Just hold me a little longer, Jethro.”  
   
“Forever, if you want.”  
   
   
They got out of bed eventually, in search of food and drinks, but couldn’t seem to keep from touching each other. The rest of the day and the next were spent mostly naked, close together, touching and kissing. By the time Sunday evening came, Tony was looking much better, the dark circles under his eyes now faded if not yet completely gone, food in his stomach and a happy twinkle in his eyes. Gibbs was looking better too, the anguished and worried look in his eyes disappearing more with every minute he saw Tony get healthier and happy, to be replaced with a satisfied calm. They were on the couch, Tony leaning back against Gibbs’ chest, when Gibbs asked the same question he had asked the previous morning.  
   
“So what do we do now?”  
   
“Do we have to decide everything now? I just know that I want to be with you, keep doing this.”  
   
Gibbs smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Tony’s head.  
   
“Me too. But what will you do tomorrow night? Will I see you?”  
   
“I don’t know. Would you want to?”  
   
“Of course.”  
   
“Then I’ll be here.”  
   
They sipped their drinks in silence for a few moments.  
   
“Gibbs?”  
   
“Hmmm?”  
   
“Are you going to make me transfer to another team?”  
   
“Why would I do that?”  
   
“Rule 12?”  
   
Gibbs chuckled.  
   
“Rule 12 doesn’t apply to you, Tony.”  
   
“Oh? Why not?”  
   
“You’re not a co-worker.”  
   
Now Tony turned to look at Gibbs, curiosity evident on his face.  
   
“I’m not?”  
   
“No. You’re my partner, my friend and my lover. You’re the man I love. I just happen to work with you too.”  
   
Tony grinned.  
   
“Bend the rules, don’t break them, right?”  
   
“Now you’re starting to catch on.”  
   
The wink Gibbs gave him with that statement made Tony laugh out loud, then made him kiss Gibbs again and again until they were both in a daze of pleasure.  
   
“Jethro?”  
   
“Yes, love?”  
   
A goofy smile appeared on Tony’s face at the endearment. Who would have thought Gibbs could be like this?  
   
“I’m going to need some space to put all my stuff.”  
   
“What stuff?”  
   
“My piano, DVDs, television, Cait the fish, my books and music. I’ll need extra closet space for my suits and shoes and accessories. I’m gonna need at least half the cabinet in your bathroom for my hair products and moisturizers and creams, probably more than half. You’re gonna have to build shelves and cabinets to hold my things. I’ll need space in the kitchen for my coffee maker and pasta maker and everything else you don’t have that I’m gonna need to be able to do some decent cooking. Oh, you’re gonna have to install a dishwasher too, because I hate doing dishes by hand. And this couch is definitely going to be replaced by mine, because mine is much more comfortable. And we’ll have to go shopping for a new mattress and bedding, because what you have upstairs now simply won’t do. Also, I’m gonna need…”  
   
Gibbs shut him up with a kiss. When Tony looked at him again, Gibbs nodded.  
   
“I’ll get started on all that tomorrow, Tony.”  
   
Tony’s eyes widened. Gibbs grinned.  
   
“Thought you could scare me, didn’t you?”  
   
“You mean you’d actually do that, Gibbs? Let me change this place?”  
   
“About time, don’t you think? Maybe we should paint a little before we move your stuff in. Start thinking about what colors you like.”

At the incredulous look that got him, Gibbs again cupped Tony's cheek.

"I don't care what you want to change in the house, Tony. It's a place. Whatever you want to make you feel comfortable here. What matters is that you know better than to try to change the man. I won't change. I'll be a surly old bastard till the day I die. I'll love you with all my heart, but don't expect me to say that every day."  
   
Tony stared at him in wonder for a moment, then whispered softly.  
   
“You really do love me.”  
   
“I really love you, Anthony.”

Tony laid another sweet kiss on Gibbs, just because he wanted to, and because he could.

"So… You serious about wanting to move in here?"

"We'll start moving stuff tomorrow, Gibbs. Right now I just want to luxuriate in the arms of the man I love."

And with a small smile, Gibbs kissed the top of Tony's head again, and sighed in contentment.

 

The following morning, Tony came strolling into the bullpen ten minutes late, but whistling a happy tune, earning surprised looks from the team. When they took in the way he looked, they were happy and pleased to see the gaunt expression was gone, and the dark circles under his eyes were disappearing. 

"You obviously feel better."

"I do, Tim. I finally got to the place I belong."

"Good for you, Tony. And consider yourself lucky, Gibbs is late too."

"I know."

The surprised look McGee gave him turned to a look of warning, and Tony knew what to expect. The head slap hit as expected, but it was soft and gentle.

"You're late, DiNozzo."

"I know, Boss. But I have this new lover who insisted on showing me how much he loved me before we left our house this morning. So really, it's his fault."

Ignoring the dropping jaws of their teammates and friends, Gibbs responded.

"But you felt how much he loved you, right?"

"Oh yes, Boss. And Boss?"

"Yeah, DiNozzo?"

"I love you too, Boss."  
   
   
 


End file.
